Shopping Locally

For the Holiday shopping season, have you considered doing all your shopping in your neighborhood?

It's not a bad idea to support your local merchants, big and small, depending on where you live. Given the rainy start that we've gotten off to in Northern California, shopping close to home can be a lot less stressful than traveling any distance, and, you will be supporting your community's tax base.

My dear friend Barbara lives in San Francisco's Marina District. A few weeks ago, we met on Union Street, one of the Marina's main shopping streets, for lunch and a little shopping.

San Francisco is a city of neighborhoods, many with shopping districts filled with unique shops, restaurants, and services. Of course, San Francisco has Union Square with just about every big-name store and its theatre district, but, if you are looking for lighter crowds and personalized service, a neighborhood shopping district is the place to go.

Barbara and I started our visit with lunch at Café des Amis, a bustling French bistro.

If a French restaurant has a Croque Monsieur sandwich, a French version of grilled ham and cheese, on it's menu, both Barbara and I always order it.

Café des Amis's menu features not only a Croque Monsieur, but also, a Croque Madame, both for lunch and for dinner. The Croque Monsieur is grilled ham and cheese and dijon mustard which is topped with Sauce Mornay. The Croque Madame adds a fried egg on top of the sandwich.




For dessert, we shared the very rich and tasty Chocolate Mousse.



It was a delightful leisurely lunch. I felt like I was back in Paris.

Our shopping was mainly at BeGood Clothing, a small boutique with clothing and accessories for men and women.



BeGood Clothing is owned by two young men, both with previous corporate business experience, who decided to run their own socially-responsible business.

One of BeGood Clothings, co-owners is the son of a friend of a friend of mine in Connecticut. That's how I heard about the store.

With this disclaimer, I must say that I am very impressed and tempted by the store, its merchandise, and its enthusiastic and knowledgeable co-owners, Mark Spera and Dean Ramadan.

Their business mission is to use their sales as a way to help people all over the world. Each of the more than 35 brands and designers that they feature in the store supports a cause. For many items, the purchase of one will provide one of the same for a needy person somewhere in the world. Other purchases generate support for environmental and humanitarian causes. Mark or Dean have hand-picked the companies whose brands they carry; they will gladly share with you information about the causes supported by each item in their store.

As for the merchandise, it is fashion forward, without being extreme. I want Barbara to buy this dress. I'm modeling a jacket that I'd like to buy. And, prices are very moderate for the style and quality.

The store itself is a tribute to sustainability, with a floor made of recycled wood and eco-friendly fixtures.

When Jim and I first came to the Bay Area in the 1970s, Union Street was the "happening" street and one of our favorite destinations for a day of wandering in and out of shops and galleries. While Union Street has changed over the years, it still has the same caché.

Paragon Outlets comes to Livermore

A week ago, a new outlet mall, Paragon Outlets, opened in Livermore, CA, about half an hour's drive from my house.

I would have been there on opening day had I not had other commitments. Maybe it was a good thing that I didn't get there last week as there were huge traffic jams all the way out onto Highway 580 which goes right past the Outlets. And, despite the huge parking lots all around the mall, the lots were entirely filled to the point that some shoppers had to park on the other side of the highway.

This past Thursday was the first day I could get there.

Before I even left the house, I knew I was going to have a good day of shopping.... My horoscope in the newspaper said, "You'll find bargains if you go shopping. Picking up little things for friends or colleagues will be a nice way to show your appreciation..."  Now, was that a coincidence, or just my astrology staying in tune with me?

My strategy was to get to the mall when it opened at 10 a.m. There were traffic monitors out there directing traffic into the mall.

I found parking near the stores I wanted to visit first



and had a few minutes to get a feel for the mall's layout. It's laid out in a rectangle, with two parallel walkways of shops on each side of the mall.  The shops line the center and the outer edges.



Its Starbucks is the biggest Starbucks I've ever been in. It opens at 6 a.m., so that shoppers who arrive early, and, of course, the people who work here, have a place to get coffee and a bite to eat before the stores open.

The Paragon Outlets in Livermore is relatively small, compared to many outlet malls that stretch so far and wide that it is impossible to even walk past all their shops in a single day of shopping, never mind shop in them. Not so at this mall; I could easily navigate it, sometimes doubling back to revisit shops, in the 5 hours or so that I spent there. I was able to visit every shop that appealed to me.

There are an abundance of restrooms, conveniently located throughout the mall. And, there are plenty of places to sit down throughout.

I think this outlet mall has the biggest concentration of upscale shops of any I've been to.





One end is anchored by Off Fifth (Saks Fifth Avenue) and Bloomingdale's outlets. The anchor at the other end is Last Call (Neiman Marcus).  These outlets were main attractions to me and I found lots of current-season clothing and accessories at very good prices. The Bloomingdale's outlet is one of a very few in this country; this was my first time at one and its mix of merchandise was my favorite of all the anchor outlet stores here.

CAbi, a line of women's clothing that is sold exclusively at home parties, has an outlet here.


I'm something of a CAbi fan and was thrilled to find a top that I love, priced at more than half its original price.

Some of the other upper-end outlets include Armani, Prada, Burberry, Barney's New York, St. John, Tumi, and Kate Spade.



More mainstream outlets like Gap, Banana Republic, True Religion, 7 for All Mankind, Van Heusen, White House Black Market, Ghirardelli Chocolate,Gymboree, Under Armour, and Lucky are all here too. Cosmetics Company Store, the outlet for all the Estee Lauder brands, is one of my favorite places to stock up on Mac, Clinique, and Estee Lauder products...and I did.





The mall is outdoors, with skylighted roofing covering most walkways.



The Food Court is indoors and features six different quick food choices.



For lunch, I had a very tasty made-to-my-order salad from Greenleaf's & Bananas.

 Paragon Outlets in Livermore may well be the nicest outlet mall that I've ever been to.  I will certainly be back soon.

And, if you really feel you must start your holiday shopping this year on Thanksgiving Day, Paragon Outlets in Livermore will be open at 10 p.m.!!!!

Happy Bargain Shopping!

IKEA with Sue & Dixie

My Christmas gift to Sue, my 99-year-old friend, was a day of shopping at IKEA, lunch included.

It took us until this week to finally get there. Dixie came along with with us. We arrived shortly after opening time and started wandering through the room displays.

Even if I am not shopping for furniture, or for anything for my home, I am always fascinated with the rooms. I get ideas for ways I can change things at home. I love the detail that IKEA puts into its room displays. Not only is there furniture, lighting, wall treatments, and flooring, but there are books on bookshelves, items on other shelves, and all cabinets are packed full of dishes, linens, and everything else that most of us put away out of sight.

What is so special about the room displays is that you see actual room or apartment layouts and can see how the space works and, of course, try out the furnishings. We all took advantage of chairs for short rest breaks.

This was our favorite chair; it can be covered with a wide variety of fabrics, made out of different woods, and comes with an optional foot rest.

We stopped for lunch in the IKEA restaurant.

By the time I got around to taking this picture, we'd finished our lunch which included Swedish Meatballs in Gravy, a Chicken Caesar Salad, Vegetable Medallions, Steamed Vegetables, Apple Cake, Marzipan Cream Cake, Coffee and Tea.


Just about all the foods that are served in the Restaurant, and many more packaged items, are sold in IKEA's Swedish Food Market, which is right in the store. Both Dixie and Sue came home with bags of Swedish Meatballs...Sue also bought Lingonberry Jam, Dixie added cookies to her purchases and I bought Apple Cake.

 And, all of us made other purchases from the store: Throw rugs, hangers, bag fasteners, a laptop lap desk, and more. We are already planning our next outing to IKEA.

Lunch at Neiman Marcus Walnut Creek

My infatuation with having a Neiman Marcus in my very own town continues.

Today my friend Starr and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch in their small restaurant.

Having been advised by the maitre'd to arrive early for lunch, we got there at 11:30 a.m. With just 13 tables in the entire dining room, almost all the tables were already occupied.

But, there was a table for us...and a very very nice relaxing lunch.

As we were perusing the menu which features daily specials and a fairly large regular menu, we were presented with a tiny cup of hot bouillon




and the "famous" Neiman Marcus Popovers.



When the popover server placed a Popover on my plate, he also set down a ramekin of molded Strawberry Butter, right next to my Popover plate. I quickly picked up the ramekin to move it closer to Starr, thinking we would be sharing this generous serving of butter. The server quickly "corrected" me saying that we each got our own ramekin of butter. Silly me to even think otherwise :-)

While I'm a big fan on Neiman Marcus's Pecan Tuna Salad, I decided to try something else, the Shrimp Salad with Green Goddess Dressing. Starr ordered the Mini Crab cake Sliders.




Both dishes were delicious and very very generous in size. Starr thought the crab in her crab cakes might not be from crab that was freshly cracked for preparation, but enjoyed her meal all the same. Every ingredient in my salad, including the poached shrimp, was fresh as could be.

When our meals were served, we were asked if we wanted more Popovers....we did and they were served with fresh ramekins of Strawberry Butter.

By now, I was feeling totally decadent. The only way this lunch could have been more decadent would have been if we had ordered cocktails or glasses of Champagne...the four people at a nearby table drank an entire bottle of Champagne during their lunch.

While dessert was not something we truly craved, we decided to share the day's featured dessert, a Chocolate-covered Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich!!! When our server heard we were sharing it, she had the kitchen divide it and served us each our half, each one garnished with a fresh Strawberry.



I had a cup of tea and Starr had coffee.

I also asked to take home a box of 4 of their famous Chocolate Chip Cookies (boxed with Neiman Marcus's recipe for their special version for Walnut Creek) and a bag of one big Chocolate Chip Cookie. I mentioned to our server that I'd pay for this separately as we would be splitting the lunch check.

Once again, she took things in her own hands and presented us each with a check for just what we had ordered...and even divided the cost of the shared dessert. A chocolate "stick" accompanied each check.

Lunch at Neiman Marcus is more expensive than my usual quick sandwich and apple lunch but well worth it for attentive professional service and delicious food. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and our visit.

An observation about the menu: Most items have their calorie counts on the menu...not the desserts or the popovers, but the other dishes. Calorie counts are very low for what tastes like very rich food. For example, the dressing for my salad was made with Greek yogurt and the dressing was served on the side. The "Go Figure Cuisine" section of the menu gives a complete nutritional breakdown of each dish in this section.

Another observation: at about 1:30 there were several empty tables, but they were starting to fill as we were leaving the dining room. But, I'm told that until about 3 p.m., there can be a wait of half an hour or more for a table for lunch. Reservations are not accepted.

The restaurant is open until 7 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on weekends, allowing a full two hours before the store closes to comfortably serve its diners.

Neiman Marcus comes to Walnut Creek

Neiman Marcus opened the doors to its new store in Walnut Creek last Friday...that's five days ago!!!

I've been more than frustrated at not yet having been in the store yet...no excuse that I was in Palm Springs until Sunday and have been busy with work and school since my return.

At any rate, today was my day to check out the new store.

And, it is gorgeous!!!

It's cheerful; it's bright and airy; it is filled with tempting items; it has a small but very intriguing restaurant. I thought I'd just spend an hour or so there, but wound up being there for over two hours. And, my apologies to the men, I never even went into the men's department which looked beautiful from afar and occupies about half the first floor.

As for merchandise, it is high end, but not outrageous! Lots of designers, many of whom are also carried at our nearby Nordstrom.

Here are some pictures of some of the women's departments:







The jewelry department features a mix of known jewelry designers and lesser known smaller designers. In the displays for the lesser known jewelry designers, there is a card with a photo and short biography of each designer...like what art museums do in their gift shops where they sell jewelry. Actually, the jewelry department is much like that of an art museum.

The restaurant is small and serves an informal menu of mostly salads and sandwiches. It has just 13 tables and I'm told that each meal is accompanied by Neiman Marcus's legendary popovers. There are several menu items created just for Walnut Creek, including the Walnut Creek Salad and a special Walnut Creek version of their secret-recipe Chocolate Chip Cookie. Prices are in the $10 - $15 range which seems reasonable for a meal with table service in a pleasant setting. Reservations are not being taken at this time, so arrive early for lunch or expect an average wait of about half an hour. The restaurant serves the same menu all day long and is open weekdays until 7 p.m. and on weekends until 6 p.m. This could be a good place to stop for a light meal before a movie or performance at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts.

This photo is from a resting area near Customer Service, looking toward the restaurant.



There is beautiful art work throughout the store, all from Neiman Marcus's private collection. Specially commissioned works by 30 Bay Area artists are displayed.

This is a seating area in the Ladies restroom...nice furniture, pleasant art.



I am delighted with the new Neiman Marcus. It's a nice boost for Walnut Creek's downtown and is sure to boost the downtown retail economy.

Weekends in and around Palm Springs

Saturday mornings in Palm Springs at the Camelot movie theatre parking lot There is a Farmers Market. It's a small market, but has a little bit of everything, including amazing produce, fresh flowers, meat, freshly baked bread and pastries.

For those who bring their pets along, there is pet sitting available.

This year we will be lucky enough to shop the Saturday market twice. This Saturday we bought for the week...not much, but enough to assure delicious lunches on the days that we eat at our condo.

These are some of my purchases: heirloom tomatoes and a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat. I couldn't resist the mandaquat, or whatever the farmer was calling it. It is larger than a kumquat, but not by much and you eat it whole, skin and all.

The market is fun and very social. We met many people while shopping and afterwards at the Camelot's cafe that opens early on market day and serves pastries, full breakfasts, and beverages.

One tempting item to which I did not succumb was the goose eggs. One is equivalent to about three regular eggs. If I was here longer, I'd attempt an omelet or frittata with one.

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Jim's favorite sculpture was there to greet him.

We spent most of our time viewing the "Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography" exhibit. This exhibit is here through May 27 and is a fascinating collection of photographs and video displays. We spent several hours enjoying it.

For years my friend Paul has been recommending Mamma Gina's in Palm Desert. We finally dined here on Saturday night.

It's old style Italian and family owned. It's been in Palm Desert since the 1980s.

The large basket of bread which was presented to us shortly after we were seated was brimming with house made Italian breads. I loved the two kinds of focaccia: sun dried tomato and an unusual whole wheat version. In addition to the oil and balsamic vinegar on the table, the bread was served with a tasty black olive tapenade.

To start, we shared the Mamma Gina Chopped Salad. What you see here is half the serving...quite enough for two, for sure.

we both ordered pasta dishes for our main courses.

Jim chose one of the evening's specials, Spinach Gnocchi.

My choice was Zucchini Lasagne which was assemble with layers of noodles and layers of sliced zucchini.

All Mamma Gina's pastas are made in house.

Our meals were delicious.

While we really weren't hungry for dessert, I can never pass up Spumoni gelato, which was one of the offerings. As you can see, it is not the traditional pink and green Spumoni but Mamma's version was worthy of the indulgence.

Early Sunday morning, we were off to the College of the Desert Street Fair, which takes place every Saturday and Sunday on the College of the Desert campus in Palm Desert.

The Street Fair is a very large mix of flea market, art fair, produce market, and more. Many locals go every weekend. Parking and admission are free and you can find everything here from fire pits to nail clippers to golf shoes to fresh asparagus.

Jim was tempted by a remote-controlled helicopter, but resisted.

I could not resist one of these succulent dish gardens...let's hope it survives the week in our condo and the drive home.

We lunched in the Fair's food area...a bratwurst for Jim and Stuffed Grape Leaves for me.

We stopped at the small but moving Cancer Survivors Park in Rancho Mirage. It's been here about ten years and is a special spot right next to the Rancho Mirage City Hall, right on busy Highway 111.

The large sculpture at one end of the park depicts five people with cancer who are about to go through the maze of cancer treatment. On the other end of the maze are survivors. As a survivor, I had to walk through the maze and celebrate with the survivors.

Our Palm Springs weekend ended with dinner at Thai Smile, a very popular Thai restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood, about a block from Trio where we dined the other night.

We started with the Fresh Spring Rolls.

Our other dishes were Panang Curry with Chicken and Red Mountain. Red Mountain is one of the chef's specials. It is made with shrimp or chicken, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, cashews and a "secret" sweet and spicy sauce.

We loved this meal. Everything tasted very very fresh and was delicious. It's a friendly place; we chatted with people at neighboring tables and had a lovely dining experience.

Hope we have a chance to come back to Thai Smile.